Spiced Christmas Biscuits

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Prep time:

35 min

Cook time:

30 min

Total time:

1 hour 5 min

Portion/Yield:

Makes 35–40 biscuits

Difficulty:

Easy

Sugar and spice and all things nice. These spiced biscuits celebrate Christmas at its best, and in fact, I start making them in November just to make sure I ‘catch’ the festive vibe. If, like me, you make too much sweet mincemeat, then this recipe is a great way to use it up. See my recipe for Luxury Sweet Mincemeat.

These biscuits really are delicious! They also make great food gifts for family and friends. See the cooking instructions below as I give two cooking times – one for a softer eat and another for a biscuit with more of a crunch.

Ingredients & Method

100g unsalted butter, softened

150g caster sugar

2 small eggs, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

a pinch of table salt

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon ground mixed spice (optional)

75g chopped walnuts

200g Luxury Sweet Mincemeat

icing sugar, for dusting

Cream the butter and caster sugar together in a bowl, then gradually beat in the eggs, followed by the vanilla extract. Sift together the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice, if using, then add to the creamed mixture and mix until well combined. Stir in the walnuts and mincemeat, mixing well (the dough will be quite sticky). Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for an hour or so, until it has firmed up enough to handle.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and line 2 large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.

Scoop out heaped teaspoonfuls (20g portions) of the chilled biscuit mixture, roll each portion into a small ball and place on the prepared baking trays (you’ll need to do this in 2 batches), leaving at least a 5cm gap between each one to allow the biscuits to spread and bake evenly. Use a fork dipped in flour to press the biscuits down to an even thickness. Bake in the oven for 8–10 minutes until light golden brown for a soft eat; if you prefer a crispier crunchy biscuit, bake them for 12–15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly on the baking sheets, then lightly dust the biscuits with icing sugar, transfer them to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Shape, bake, dust and cool the remaining biscuits in the same way.

Store the biscuits in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to a week.

Cook’s Note

These biscuits make a very pretty gift and will be adored even by those who do not normally enjoy a good mince pie. Pack 5 or 6 of these festive biscuits into a cellophane bag and seal with a colourful, festive ribbon, then attach a pretty handwritten tag. I love these kind of gifts as they are so personal!